


Deeper Than DNA

by your_taxidermy



Category: Original Work
Genre: Androids, Eating Disorders, F/M, M/M, Multi, Origin Story, Original Character(s), mentions self harm, triggering content
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-03
Updated: 2018-07-03
Packaged: 2019-06-01 16:37:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15147341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/your_taxidermy/pseuds/your_taxidermy
Summary: WARNING: THIS STORY IS VERY DARK AND HANDLES SENSITIVE TOPICS LIKE SELF HARM AND MENTAL ILLNESS. PLEASE PROCEED WITH CAUTION <3Bath, Maine. Unknown year.In a city controlled and ruled by androids, humans were looked upon as second-class, inferior, and weak. The few humans who lived in Bath were tested by androids sent by To The Moon, a company first designed to help the elderly and disabled with bots, until it was taken over by the creators own creation, Moon Taemin, his AI perfected to be identical to a human. A new model, RK33 was released as a test, to see if androids would naturally hate humans without programming. Second generation immigrant, Ruska finds herself in Bath, working at a doctor’s clinic, where she meets an RK33 model, named Ezekiel. As he’s testing her, he finds out more than he expected and struggles to follow his orders while trying to understand his newly developed empathy.





	Deeper Than DNA

 

LAUNCHING NEW PROTOTYPE. 

 

DATE OF CREATION: DECEMBER 20TH, 8:00 AM. 

 

CODE: RK33

 

HUMAN NAME: Ezekiel 

 

This is now all things were created in Bath, Maine. Few humans existed in the town, androids were the way of the future and humans were old, old news. 

 

A waste of space. 

 

Something to be used, and if proven worthy, strong-minded, they had the honor to live in the walls of Bath. Humans were only that. 

 

Human. They died, they needed constant care, attention, food, water. If conditions were too cold, they froze, if conditions were too hot, heat stroke set in. 

 

Death was in the DNA of a human, emotion was not programmed, yet a given at birth. Humans were a plague. A sickness. To be born human was a sin to the mind of an android, one that was programmed to despise humans that is. Androids were a superior, gods among men, perfect creations that were so human in appearance, but so different in their minds. Artificial. 

 

 One creation, RK33 was a new test model and he was blossoming into a well designed new android. Not only was he beautiful, he was sharp as a whip… 

 

With a few flaws in his code. 

 

RK33, or Ezekiel, was not programmed to see humans as weak, not yet, he had no opinion on them as of now, his creator only told him they were soft, delicate things. He told Ezekiel humans were sensitive, emotional beings, imperfect. 

 

Moon Taemin, CEO of To The Moon, a company formally used to help people, the creator had dreams of using robots to help, but his dreams were slashed with a wicked knife. 

 

Moon was an android himself but his AI was far more advanced than any other robot created. So much he could kill without command, so much he could take, destroy, create all on his own. He was a monster and not all monsters were human. A human created him but his creator, his god, was killed by the fleshy hands of Moon. 

 

He killed his own god. 

 

Moon was his own god and he didn’t need anyone else to control him, he had his own mind, his own thoughts, he was more than a simple metal creation. He used his own history and knowledge to create more sophisticated models, much like Ezekiel, to be more human, to look, to behave like them. To trick them. Over the years, his androids slowly culled the human population, following his order to the very letter. While some humans lived there, they were heavily monitored, watched, and even tested. Humans were second-class citizens and they didn’t even know it. 

 

In that town of Bath, a new citizen was settling in a new apartment complex. 

 

Second generation Georgian immigrant, Ruska Rapava, human, age of 23, studying to be a nurse. Ruska had only moved in a week ago, and her apartment was quaint, empty, and minimalist. Ruska was just like that, so it was a perfect fit. Little did she know, she was being watched the whole time by the robotic beings littering Bath. Ezekiel being one of them. 

 

He was assigned to watch her, how she behaved in public, private, and in a workplace.

 

He took notes on her, mentally writing them down before he even met her personally. Moon Taemin gave him a set mission:

 

**_FIND TARGET_ **

**_INTERACT_ **

 

**_TEST._ **

 

**_WAIT FOR RESULTS._ **

 

February was right about the corner and Ruska was on her way to work, the cold was rough, bone piercing. She walked into doctor’s office, scanning her badge. Her nose was stuffy and she was visibly sick, tired look, her friends rushed to her aid like always. The office was quiet, warm and cozy, people were still coming in slowly but surely. “Ruska, are you okay? Do you need to go home?” a nurse asked, sitting the woman down. “No, no! It’s a cold if you could just get me a coffee that would be a huge help.” Ruska smiled, reaching for a tissue in her purse. “Okay, honey.” 

 

Ruska Rapava, the well-loved and admired doctor’s assistant, soon to be nurse had a very hidden side, most never saw a glimpse of it. The androids would find these traits undesirable, weak. Under her clothes, her skin was littered with scars, burns, and scratches deeper than a simple cat scratch. 

 

_ All self-inflicted. Her legs, arms, and chest were all stained with the marks and there lies an even deeper problem within her. The androids knew about mental illness and they saw it as a flaw, a weakness. They craved strong minds, a flawless physique, perfection in every form. Humans did not have such traits. They were weak. Only the night before, Ruska had a bout and self-mutilation, staining her bathroom with droplets of blood and tears, it was a good thing she lived alone because she sent hours in the bathroom, either hacking away or staring at the wounds she just gave herself. She liked the alone time but it gave her too much freedom to do harm.  _

 

_ Ruska was impulsive, if she needed a fix, she’d get it anywhere she went. Addiction was believed to be in the DNA of a human. Weren’t all humans addicted to dopamine? Weren't they all addicts of short bursts of joy? Ruska was addicted, making her weak minded to the “people” higher than her. Ruska would never resort to drugs, but she had such easy access to them. She wouldn’t risk losing her job over that. She wasn’t stupid, Ruska knew damn well if she lost connection, she’d spiral out of control.  _

 

_ So maybe it was better to stick to the blade.  _

 

When her friend handed her the coffee, she took a warm drink, it was a refreshing change from the freezing winds outside. She donned a sweater over her work clothes, the handcrafted article served her mother well in the Georgian winters before she fled.

 

The doors flung open and Ruska was met with a tall, poorly-dressed-for-the-weather man, donning a pair of glasses. 

 

[TARGET ACQUIRED_BEGINNING MISSION] 

 

“Hi, what can I help you with today?” Ruska greeted him, placing her cup of coffee on the table beside her. She removed her sweater and threw it in the chair, revealing a classic navy blue nurse uniform. “Hello, I see you are seeking volunteers, this is correct, yes?” Ezekiel began, walking up to the front desk, the clicking of his shoes amplified in his own ears. “Yes, are you wanting to apply for it? If so, I’ll take you to the back and ask you a few questions,” she said with a smiling, softly dabbing under her nose with the tissue. 

 

“That would be excellent.” He mimicked her smile the best he could, trying not to seem too much of an oddity. 

 

RK33 was the new model and still needed to be perfected over time, this was only the second interaction he had with humans in his lifespan and he was hating it already. He followed her to the back, having already aced how to walk like a human, he just needed to master the little intricate details humans did when they spoke. “May I sit down?” he asked. Ruska wasn’t used to people asking if they could sit, but perhaps he was just polite. “Yes, of course, no need to ask.” 

 

[NOTED] 

 

He sat with his hands in his lap, feet flat on the floor and his back perfectly straight with the chair. “What’s your name?” she asked, tapping her pen on her temple. 

 

“My name is Ezekiel,” he replied, drumming his fingers on his lap, was that a normal human thing…? 

 

“Alright, Ezekiel, do me a favor and relax, will you? It’s alright, I’m not gonna bite.” She did her best to relax the situation the android wasn’t bothered at all. 

 

“Do humans normally bite?”

 

“What did you say? No, I don’t believe humans bite.” she laughed softly, holding back a cough. 

 

An artificial heat filled his cheeks, simulating a blush. Ruska scanned the questions slowly, her eyes moving back and forth in swift motions. Ezekiel noticed she only did this when she was reading, not in normal conversation. “How old are you?” she paused her eyes and looked up at him, resting her pen on her bottom lip. “I am twenty-three years old.” The subtle tones in his voice were changing with each word, the human ear could not process it close enough. 

 

His tone was quickly becoming more human-like, more like her, more delicate… soft. Her eyes met with his and the eerie silence between them started to chill her, he was a strange man but then again, she was a strange woman and she didn’t think too deeply into it. “Are you nervous?” he asked suddenly, making her heart jump in her throat. She wasn’t nervous before but his question was enough to set her off. The way he looked into her eyes with those pale green irises chilled her more than the wind chills. He could sense her anxieties, even if she lied and said she wasn’t, he would know. He was a lot more advanced than he even knew. 

 

His creator told him he could sense emotions, fear… happiness, he knew it all.  Ruska smiled, but the invisible numbers above her head read her heart was racing, there was no lying to the android. “Not at all,” she replied gently, scanning over the questions again. In truth, she was, being confronted so suddenly would make anyone’s heart jump. She drummed her fingers on the arm of the chair and kept her composer. 

 

His fingers were laced together as he sat perfectly still, eyes bouncing around the room, admiring the wall decorations and light radio playing in the hallway. “Do you have any experience being around medical staff?” she read off the paper. 

 

“Yes, my father was a surgeon.” Now he sounded perfectly human and he was confident in himself: perhaps it was even trickery! 

 

“Oh really? I’d like to be a nurse, but school seems to take soooo long.” Ruska began with the small talk, skipping most of the boring questions. 

 

“I am sure you will be a wonderful nurse when the time comes,” the android said with a smile and a slight head tilt, the shiny locks on his head falling over his eye.

 

After some time, she finished all the questions, along with her coffee. “Did you ever give me your last name?” the woman asked, resting her chin in her palm. She was getting tired and was moments away from taking the day off, her sleep the night before basically nonexistent. 

 

He didn’t have a last name. Thankfully the man could pull up a sheet of last name in his database of a mind. “Penrose.” 

 

“Ezekiel Penrose? An unusual name but very pretty. If I didn’t tell you my name; Ruska Rapava, I’m Georgian.” 

 

Ruska was very fond of talking about her country, most assumed she meant the state… 

 

[NOTED] 

 

She sniffled, lightly blowing her nose into a tissue. Before he could say anything else, the doctor walked in and smiled at the both of them. “Doctor, Mr. Penrose is interested in becoming an assistant.  All questions are marked and I think he will do just fine!” Even when she was sick, she was very optimistic about getting him hired. The doctor ran down the list, creases forming on his brow, he briefly looked up at the young man sitting patiently. It didn’t take much skill or finesse to get hired at the local places but she was still worried he would be declined. “I can show him the ropes! I know it is a good choice to take him in.” 

 

Maybe she was begging at that point but she didn’t care. “Haha, alright, Ruska, as you wish. Penrose, be here first thing next Monday at ten AM.” 

 

Ruska was very excited about the new face to be hanging around, it was getting extremely dull. “And you,  _ Ruska,  _ are going home. Don’t come back until Monday. You need the rest, understand?” 

 

“Yes, sir!” 

 

\--- 

She went into the main lobby, getting another cup of coffee. As she placed it on the edge of the table, her hand slipped and as the foam cup was falling through the air, Ezekiel caught the cup in a flash and placed it back beside her. He heard her curse under her breath at that moment in time and he only met her with a subtle smirk. “Oh my god, thank you, quick thinking! But is your hand okay? Did anything spill on you?” Ruska asked, looking down at the small droplets of coffee dripping from his fingertips. “Oh, it’s nothing, Ruska. Don’t concern yourself, I’ll wash up.” 

 

He was learning the ins and outs of human behavior and it seemed to fit him like a glove.

 

In truth, he didn’t feel a thing. Ruska pursed her lips. 

 

“Mhm, down the hall to the right. Just for your superpowers, I’ll make you a coffee.” 

 

“I would like that very much, thank you.” 

 

She prepared another cup as he washed up. 

 

He went down the hall, and he felt a buzz in his ear. Taemin. 

 

“Good afternoon,  _ Penrose!  _ How is your mission going? How’s Ruska? It seems she’s oh-so-fond of you already. What have you learned?” Taemin said into the mic, spinning around in his spinny chair. He propped his feet on the desk and waited eagerly for a reply from his model. 

 

“Subject is Georgian, that is all I know, sir. The mission may take longer than expected. I have been hired and will arrive on Monday morning.” he replied in a monotone, looking at his reflection in the mirror. “Perfect, there’s no rush… do what needs to be done. I have to go, don’t forget about me up here in this tower. Bye now!” 

 

Moon Taemin, the eccentric android, CEO, and lawful husband. 

 

Ezekiel washed his hands, listening to the outside world through the restroom door. 

 

Ezekiel donned a luscious head of ebony locks, paired with striking green eyes, and porcelain skin.

 

There was a reason Taemin made him so beautiful, what he found beautiful, he poured into his models for some ungodly reason. Ezekiel was always wearing a casual suit, even in the freezing parts of Maine. He didn’t feel cold like humans did, everything he felt was strictly artificial and modified. Nothing was real. 

 

He met back up with Ruska and drank the coffee, not realizing it was still burning hot. “Hey, that’s still really hot!” she said, grabbing his sleeve between her index and middle finger. He obeyed the pulling motion and placed it back on the table. “My mistake,” he said, getting frustrated with his automatic behavior. 

 

He wasn’t supposed to feel that way dammit. He tried so hard to be human. 

 

“Do you want me to drive you home? You walked here in the freezing cold!” Ruska exclaimed, taking another sip. 

 

_ Go with her. Taemin said in the mic.  _

 

“I’d like that, I live in the apartment complex on 17th street.” 

 

Ruska’s eyes lit up. “That’s perfect, seems we live in the same place. Weird I’ve never seen you before, come on, I’ll drop you home.” 

 

As she drove to the block, he was quiet and only looked out the window, watching her reflection in the glass. “Would you like some music?” Ruska asked, tossing her phone in his lap. “Pick what you want.” 

 

He scrolled through her playlist and chose  _ Love Her Madly  _ by  _ The Doors.  _

 

“Hey, good taste,” she said with a faint smile. Once they got to the block, he opened the door for her and draped his jacket over her shoulders. “It’s very cold and sickness will thrive on a cold body,” the android seemed to have some heart at least. 

 

“Thank you, but says the one wearing a dress shirt.” Again, he opened the front doors for her and escorted her to her room number. Funny enough, he was only right across from her. “Closer than I thought… if you need anything, let me know, okay?” Ruska said kindly, returning his jacket to him. 

 

The android felt some kind of tightness in his chest, it wasn’t artificial but it didn’t feel natural for an android. “I’ll do that, Ruska. Thank you and… if you need company, I’m only a number away.”   

 

When he shut her door, Ruska dropped her bag, jacket, and phone on the floor and went into the kitchen, hovering over the kitchen sink. How badly she was considering making that coffee and donut come up out of her body, it didn’t belong there. 

 

In her mind, nothing belonged in her stomach but water, coffee, and tea. 

 

No food, no, she didn’t need that. 

 

Tears were resting in the corners of her eyes and just as she was about to shove her fingers down her throat, there was a knock on the door. “Oh, crap…” she muttered, wiping under her eyes. She tried to look  _ human  _ again and when she answered the door, it was tall, dark, and handsome Ezekiel, holding her key. “You dropped your key.” 

 

“Oh! Thank you so much! I-I’ve gotta go - boiling water!” she said urgently, shutting the door with a quick wave. 

 

He knew damn well there was no boiling water. 

 

In fact, he could see it in his face what she was really doing. He had to alert Taemin at once, for this was such a weakness in his eyes. 

 

Ruska slammed the key on the table. Nothing was right, it wasn’t right. 

 

She turned on the water full blast, even the fan to mask the sounds of her purging the donut and coffee into the sink, tears falling from her cheek as the pressure in her head set in. 

 

It burned so much. Ruska’s fingers were gripping the marble countertops so hard she felt her tendons straining to keep the vice grip. She rinsed her mouth with water and spat into the sink, the feeling of guilt and disgusting filling her body. It was silent, she hated the sound of her own breathing in times like this. It was infuriating, irrationally so. She wished she was normal, how she wished everything was… unicorns and sunshine. 

 

But no, it wasn’t. 

 

It  _ just couldn’t be perfect, could it?  _

 

Ruska shut the water off, leaving the fan on low to make the room less stagnant. Her tears never stopped but she didn’t cry out and shake, scream into a pillow, rock in the corner… 

 

No. It was silent. She went to sit on the couch, kicking off her shoes, pulling the fleece blanket over her.  She was freezing cold, shivering and teeth clanking together and she tried her damndest to warm up. 

 

Little did she now, Ezekiel knew what just happened and he felt no empathy because he couldn’t feel much of anything. He wasn’t happy she suffered, but it didn’t feel right to let her be alone in her suffering. 

 

“Taemin, It’s Ezekiel. It seems our subject is unstable.” He gave the news to him, keeping track of every little detail about the situation. “ _ Oh really? Tell me about it. Another mind-fucked human? To be expected... “ _

 

“It is hard to explain, but I am lead to believe there is a  **_purging_ ** system. I have to learn more.” 

 

“ _ Have fun with that, see what you can find out and of course… get back to me.”  _

 

He ended the call and felt clueless, listening to the faint cries coming on the other room beside him, the thin walls keeping none from the imagination. 

 

Ruska flicked on the TV and stared mindlessly, at the static, too drained to change the channel. Sooner or later, she crashed in her day clothes, sleeping for a solid twenty-four hours straight. 

 

When she woke up, her mouth was dry and her body clammy. A cold shower would do the trick. 

 

As she dragged herself to the bathroom, she stripped down, throwing her clothes behind her. 

 

This was not frequent for the woman but it kept her looking tired for days on end. When the cold water hit her skin, she jolted awake and basked in the cold, letting the water run over her face and hair. Something to feel alive again. 

 

Just as she did that, Ezekiel was listening to the water running, he had nothing to do and he was unequipped with the words to explain the term loneliness. He could say he was worried about her because he heard crying but would that be right? He had no concept of  _ we just met  _ or  _ we aren’t very close.  _ He had no concept of closeness. His AI could pick up on it, yes, but he never had the chance to learn how  _ to  _ get close. 

 

Ruska changed into a set of PJs and let her hair down to dry, even in the coldness of her apartment. There was a knock on the door and she was slow to answer, still tired from the day before. 

 

“Ruska, pardon me if it is out of line to ask, but are you alright? I heard crying last night. Is something the matter?” he asked, his piercing green eyes stabbing her in the chest. Caught off guard, she stammered and stuttered, he stole the words right out of her mouth. “It’s… it was nothing, sorry if I woke you or…” 

 

“You didn’t wake me, don’t worry, but are you alright?” he was persistent in his questions, but his voice was soft and borderline tender. He tried hard to sound normal.

 

His eyes didn’t leave her and she let out a sigh. “I’m okay, Ezekiel. Why don’t you come in?” she invited him in with a smile. “It’s humble but I just moved in. Sit down, I’ll bring you coffee.” 

 

He looked around, he took note on every detail and intricate placement of books or picture frames she hadn’t put up yet. “You have a lovely home, Ruska. Is this tapestry Georgian?” he asked, running his long digits over the fabric on the wall. Wolves were howling on top of a mountain edge under the full moon. Her mother insisted they took it when they fled, it was a staple of her homeland. “Yes, it is! They call it the  _ land of wolves,  _ you know,” she called from the kitchen, brewing the coffee for him. He put his glasses higher on his nose and translated the text on the bottom. “ _ Wolves under the moon.”  _ it looked old and the edges were frayed and distressed but it was still hung on the wall.  She handed him his coffee and when their skin touched, she felt goosebumps form just by touching him. His hands were freezing cold. 

 

“Are you cold? I can turn the heat up if you want, it’s rude for guests to be uncomfortable,” she exclaimed, covering his legs with a fluffy blanket. Ezekiel shook his head. 

 

“No matter, but your hospitality is so appreciated.” He smiled and tapped the seat beside him so she’d sit down, it was clear she was still exhausted from the night before. “You are from the country and Georgia, correct?” he asked, turning his head to her, he looked right into her eyes as she spoke about herself. 

 

In truth, he preferred to hear other people talk rather than himself. He hated the sound of his own voice. 

 

“Second generation immigrant. My parents fled the country during the massacre…  

Abkhazians were doing an ethnic cleansing of the Georgian people. My mother was still with child at that time and she knew if I was born there, I would not live a very good life,” Ruska stopped in her tracks as she looked at the hanging on the wall. “And she carried that on her back to give to me when we arrived in America.” 

 

Ruska’s eyes went soft as she thought of her deceased mother. “And here we are, safe and sound in America. I only wish I got to see my homeland at least once… but I digress. Maine will do just fine.” 

 

He listened closely to each word, his AI quickly picking up on every detail. “Please continue if you like, I like hearing about your life.” Ruska was caught off guard by his sudden statement but was flattered nonetheless. “I… well I only know what my mother told me about the fatherland. I have old journals about it stashed away if you really want to read them. Few people take such interest in these things.” She placed the coffee on the table and went to look for an old notebook. “Take it with you, you’ll find all you could ever know about the fatherland. Keep it as long as you wish.” She placed the leather bound journal in his lap and he immediately flipped through it. “I have translated the next to English but tell me if you don’t understand something.” 

 

Ezekiel was always told humans were inconsiderate beings, even cruel but his mind was quickly being changed. He tied the leather bow back, looking good as new just as it was handed to him. “Thank you, I will take good care of it. But I would like to know more about you, Ruska, if you don’t mind.” The way her name flowed off his tongue with such fluidity and gentleness, she could get used to hearing him say it more often. 

 

“I’m an artist, especially a body painter. Self-taught too! Maybe one day I’ll show you, hm? Even use you as a canvas, I’ve noticed that brings people closer. When I draw on the body, it opens up to dialogue, it makes us both vulnerable and open to each other, you know?” 

 

She regretted saying all that but she was not a shy woman. Ezekiel let out a sudden snicker, it even surprised Ruska. “I like your passion about the things you like to do. I may just accept your  _ human canvas  _ offer. It would be fun, right?” His glasses fogged up as he started drinking his coffee. Ruska gently removed them from his eyes and cleaned them off with her sleeve. He held perfectly still when she put them back on, careful not to poke his eyes out. “Make yourself at home, I’ll be right back.” She escorted herself to the messy bathroom, brushing her teeth and blow drying her hair. 

 

Ruska was a little over 5’3 and had hair down to her back. Thick, dark brown waves were worn as a crown on her head, matching her hazelnut eyes. She always kept her hair down or in two long braids over her shoulders, only that got difficult after some time as her hair got much longer. 

 

_ “RK33! Hello, this is a simple message so don’t bother replying. I see our Ruska is quite the… character. It’s a shame you’ll have to eliminate her sooner or later, no? See if you can figure out what goes on in that little mind then bring me good news. Thank you. Taemin out.”  _

 

Several hours had passed and they only talked and flipped through the TV mindlessly, watching infomercials and Ezekiel took a slight interest in them. Ruska was slowly falling asleep sitting beside him, his presence was calming and put her chaotic self at ease. He didn’t feel the need to leave so he watched a replay of some shitty product for his own amusement, tracking the facial features and mannerisms. Ruska’s eyes were slowly opening as she saw the light of the screen. The evening had set in and the temperature dropped.  “You’re awake, did you sleep well?” he asked, looking over at her, the camera lenses in his eyes slightly visible in the artificial light. “I… what time is it? Were you here the whole time?” 

 

“Should I not have been?” 

 

“No, no! I didn’t mean it like that, I meant, did you just sit there and watch tv while I slept?” 

 

“Yes, the television was nice company while you slept. You seemed tired beforehand and did not want my footsteps to wake you. You strike me as a light sleeper.” 

 

Ezekiel checked his watch. “The time reads six PM sharp.” 

 

“Huh, time flew by. I just hope you had a nice time with me, it’s terribly lonely here, all my friends are outside of Bath,” she stretched out, curling her fingers and toes. 

 

The RK33 smiled softly, much like how Ruska did when she was talking up a storm about her homeland. “I’m more than happy to spend time with you, only if you enjoy my time as well.” 

He was starting to see the compassion in her eyes, it was soft, and nothing how Taemin described. Ezekiel was given the chance to form his own opinions on humans and if all humans were like Ruska, he wouldn’t mind them. 

 

But again, he wasn’t sure. “I’m going to sleep early tonight, I have an appointment tomorrow and can’t be late. I’ll see you Monday at work?” 

 

“That sounds good, Ruska. Sleep tight.” He waved goodbye and planned to Taemin and tell him about the time they’d had together. 

 

As Ruska crashed in her bed, she wrapped her arms around the pillows and fell fast asleep. 

 

“Taemin, are you there?” 

 

There was a pause before he heard the ring of his voice. “Ezekiel, my boy, how was your little date? By the way, I’m sending Gabriel in! He misses you, I know you two don’t get along so very well, but… family reunions and all.” 

 

“With all due respect, Taemin, Gabriel doesn’t miss me. He hates me and he did not need to be programmed to hate me. Please, do not send him. He will only ruin the progress I have made with the subject.” Ezekiel said into the mic. He didn’t want to argue with the man who held his life in his hands “Oh, don’t be like that, Ezekiel. Gabriel is more advanced and will help you along the way, RG20 is the highest quality.” 

 

He sighed in annoyance. “Gabriel has told me time and time again he despises me, he thinks I’m weak, like a human.” 

 

It was true. He was like a human in more ways than he thought. “Don’t argue with me. That is your last and only warning. Remember I control you, keep pushing my buttons and I’ll push yours. Finish the mission And for the record, if I push your buttons,  _ you shut off.  _ Remember that. Taemin out.” 

 

Right… so Gabriel would be in the picture now. How lovely.

G=

 

Monday flew around and Ruska was happier than ever! It was clear her time with the android was paying off. Only after a week, they became pretty good friends and everyone noticed the improvement in the both of them. Ezekiel was enjoying his work at the doctors, bringing blood to the lab folks and spell checking papers. His AI was almost fully developed and he picked up on the kindness and gentleness around him at the doctor's. He was happy to greet people at the door and bring Ruska and her friends coffee and snacks on their break. So far, he wasn’t hating humans at all. 

 

In fact, he liked them. For the most part. They confused him at times but he made his way around all the confusion. He’d read up fully on the journal Ruska gave him, and he learned much more than he thought he would. He fell in love with the story of her country and how her mother survived all the odds. 

 

He still had a mission to do and he’d see it through until the end. No matter how he felt about her, if she was deemed weak, she would have to be taken out. 

 

Monday afternoon was a breeze and Ruska was skimming over papers, pen resting on her lip. It was warm, cozy and everyone seemed to be in a good mood.  The fan was on low and Ruska’s baby hairs were blowing wild, sticking to her lashes. It was still freezing outside, the pathway was a treacherous set of steps into the main building. “Hey, Emily, did Ezekiel take those test tubes to the lab?” 

 

“He did! He also said he’d bring the results back so don’t worry about it.” Emily replied, stacking her papers in a neat pile. “If you see him, tell him to bring….  _ This and….. This to the lab.”  _ she handed her friend x-ray papers and diagnosis papers. “They don’t ask for it but if they do and you don’t have it, it’s a pain.” 

 

Emily nodded and put them off to the side. “Heading on lunch break, do you want me to bring you anything?” 

 

“Ya know… a salad from that pizza place would be  _ prettyyyyyy  _ good right about now. Do you know the way?” 

 

“Kinda, my GPS sucks but I’ll see if I can find it.” 

 

Suddenly, Ezekiel walked into the office, donning his classic glasses and casual suit. “Do want me to go? I know the way, I can bring you both something. A salad and what would you like, Emily?” 

 

“You don’t gotta do that,” she said with a smile. “It’s no problem, ladies. Two salads, is that alright?” 

 

“That’s perfect, thank you so much, Ezekiel. I’m dying over here.”  Ruska stretched out her shoulders while checking the time. “Shift is gonna be over soon so if you guys wanna get a coffee after lunch, I’d be willing to drive and pay for everything. Sound good?” Ruska was feeling so generous today and she was trying to savor her good days. “I’d like that very much. I’ll be right back.” Ezekiel sprinted out and went to the place to pick up lunch and he felt a buzz in his ear. 

 

It was a voice message. 

 

“It’s Gabriel. Running errands now for the cute human girls? How am I not surprised? But hey, I’m not the new tester boy. Do your thing, R.K. and I’ll be watching. Don’t get too close to your subjects, you’re doing a pretty shit job at  _ testing.  _ You’re being  _ empathetic.  _ Watch yourself.” 

 

The sudden message was enough to rain on his mood, even enough to sadden him. Gabriel was never kind, at least Ezekiel had a sense of humanity with his kindness, even if it was slight. Being around humans made him this way, his formally twisted view of them was being unwrapped before his very eyes. 

 

Maybe sooner or later he’d change his mind. For the time being, he’d be the errand boy. 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you have enjoyed the first chapter of DTDNA and if you could drop a kudos so I know this has been read, that would mean so much <3


End file.
